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Dinopedia:Tyrannosaurus rex
Tyrannosaurus rex (tie-RAN-oh-SORE-us WRECKS) meaning "tyrant lizard king" (Greek tyrannos = tyrant + sauros = lizard + rex = king), also known colloquially as T. rex,'' ''it was a giant carnivorous'' theropod dinosaur from 68-65.5 million years ago. It's the second biggest terrestrial carnivore/theropod to have ever lived, with only ''Spinosaurus ahead of it, but the spined-lizard was also semi-aquatic and mostly piscivorous, so it wasn't fully terrestrial or hunted big game like T. rex did. Its fossil remains are relatively rare, as of 2008 only 31 specimens had been found,'' including three complete skulls. ''Tyrannosaurus rex measures 39-49 feet (12-15 m) long, stands 17-23 feet (5.2-7 m) tall, and weighs between 8-11 tons (14,000-22,000 lbs), meaning this dinosaur was much bigger than even an African bull elephant, and by far the largest carnivore ever in North America and possibly the world. The first specimens found played an important role in the Bone Wars. It lived throughout what is now western North America, with a much wider range than other tyrannosaurids. It was among the last non-avian dinosaurs to exist prior to the Cretaceous–Tertiary Extinction Event.' '''While ''Tyrannosaurus and its relatives ruled the north, abelisaurs such as Carnotaurus ruled the south. Tyrannosaurus rex ''is one of the most most well-known dinosaur's, ranging from toys to television shows. Its name still brings fear even today, and it's also celebrated as the "King of the Dinosaurs". However, there may have been some carnivorous dinosaurus that were bigger. It's become the quintessential dinosaur/monster, and has become an icon in dinosaur culture. In 1892, Edward Cope described the f irst known ''Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton as Manospondylus gigas, but this is now considered a Nomen oblitum. Barnum Brown's 1900 discovery of "Dynamosaurus imperiosus," now called Tyrannosaurus rex, Tyrannosaurus' type species. He found two more specimens, in 1902 and 1905. ''Tarbosaurus'' was at one point considered a second Asian species of Tyrannosaurus, but was later reclassified as either Tarbosaurus bataar ''or ''Tyrannosaurus bataar. Tyrannosaurus rex ''may not be the biggest carnivorous dinosaur, however. ''Spinosaurus may be the biggest carnivorous dinosaur ever discovered, with the largest estimates being 56 feet (17 m) long. Giganotosaurus may have been right behind Spinosaurus, and Carcharodontosaurus after that. In the movie Jurassic Park 3, a sub-adult Tyrannosaurus fought a Spinosaurus, and seemed to have the upper hand until the Spinosaurus muscled around, bit down on the Rex's neck, and then used its longer arms to snap its neck. However, if this battle were to happen in real life, this probably wouldn't have been the outcome, since the T. rex bit down on the Spinosaurus' neck at the beginning of the fight and should've killed the other theropod by its bone-crushing bite. Even if the Spinosaurus hadn't died from the initial bite, it probably would've died later from infection from the Rex's jaws. However, they lived on different continents in different time periods, so the winner will probably never ever be truly known. Skin and feathers In 2004, the scientific journal Nature published a report describing an early tyrannosauroid, Dilong paradoxus, from the famous Yixian Formation of China. As with many other theropods discovered in the Yixian, the fossil skeleton was preserved with a coat of filamentous structures which are commonly recognized as the precursors of feathers. It has also been proposed that Tyrannosaurus and other closely related tyrannosaurids had such protofeathers. However, skin impressions from large tyrannosaurid specimens show mosaic scales.While it is possible that protofeathers existed on parts of the body which have not been preserved, a lack of insulatory body covering is consistent with modern multi-ton mammals such as elephants, hippopotamus, and most species of rhinoceros. As an object increases in size, its ability to retain heat increases due to its decreasing surface area-to-volume ratio. Therefore, as large animals evolve in or disperse into warm climates, a coat of fur or feathers loses its selective advantage for thermal insulation and can instead become a disadvantage, as the insulation traps excess heat inside the body, possibly overheating the animal. Protofeathers may also have been secondarily lost during the evolution of large tyrannosaurids like Tyrannosaurus, especially in warm Cretaceous climates. If anything, the feathers would've been used to show off during courtship to attract mates in large tyrannosaurs. Even though the larger adult tyrannosaurs probably didn't have feathers, the babies, which were much smaller and needed more warmth than the adults, probably hatched with feathers and lost them as they grew. Killer Instinct There has been ongoing debate as to how Tyrannosaurus found its food. Most people believe it was a predator, down and killing its food in the same way lions do. However, others believe it was a scavenger, as evidenced by its large olfactory bulbs (which indicate a phenomenal sense of smell). The best possible conclusion is that T. rex ''was both a part time hunter and scavenger, since no carnivore relies on just one of those things alone. Evidence has shown that ''T. rex was also cannibalistic when the sitiuation demanded it, or after killing its own kind for mating or territory. There's also evidence that Tyrannosaurus rex ''hunted in groups, from when Phil Currie found a large number of ''Tyrannosaurus' close, more primitive relative Albertosaurus in Canada that were all of different ages, and since Albertosaurus, which was more primitive and not as smart as its more famous cousin, hunted in groups, then why shouldn't T. rex have done the same? The concept that makes Tyrannosaurus rex so deadly is that it had a big head (4.5-6 ft long) and great jaws that could dislocate like a snake to swallow large pieces of meat. It also banana-sized teeth (14 in. (35 cm.)) and could bite 500-600 lbs. (227-272 kg.) of meat at a time and swallow it whole, sometimes breaking the teeth off when biting but growing them back repeatedly. Unlike most predators, T. rex would also eat basically the whole carcass, bones and all. We know because we've found Tyrannosaurus coprolites (fossilized poop) with ceratopsian and hadrosaur bones in it. The teeth made Tyrannosaurus different from most predators, because these teeth were blunter, stronger, and more suited to crush bone and penetrate armor instead of slice through flesh. Another discovery seems to show that T. rex also had a very infectious bite from those, since the serrations in the them were much larger and probably held pieces of rotten meat in them, which allowed harmful bacteria to grow and cause disease when the Rex bit down on prey items, so even if the'' T. rex'' didn't get the kill on the first bite, the prey would eventually die of infection and the T. rex ''would just follow and eat it after it'd died or became too weak to fight. It also seems as though ''T. rexes in the North fought against Triceratops, Ankylosaurus Edmontosaurus, and Pachycephalosaurus, while ones in the South fought against all of those plus a large sauropod called Alamosaurus. The average bite force of Tyrannosaurus rex astounded scientists when they used calculations from crocodile bite forces to find out that Tyrannosaurus rex had a bite force of 3 tons (6,000 lbs.) to 10 tons (20,000 pounds) of force. This tremendous amount of force is enough to easily crush bone and bite through a ste el oil drum, and is also the most powerful bite force of any terrestrial animal. Tyrannosaurs could probably use hunting tactics which required lunging at prey from short distances, and then crushing them with its jaws. It also could break bones with it's tail, teeth, and could also do so by ramming into prey with its rock-hard head. T. rex was also the most muscularly built theropod ever, even its tiny arms were strong, being able to lift 500 lbs. (227 kg.) with each arm, crushing any Olympic record for weight-lifting. The exact use for its arms are unknown, but most scientists agree it was to grab onto struggling prey with those 2-inch (5-cm.) long, hook-like claws while its huge jaws finished it off. They also could've been used to grab on at first while mating or to help lift itself up off the ground. Most scientists agree that T. rex's arms got so small throughout evolution from its jaws becoming so big and powerful, so the arms were less needed, and if T. rex hadn't gone extinct, the arms might've completely disappeared all together. Although it was the top predator, Tyrannosaurus rex had a very tough life, but T. rex has proven to also be a very resilient dinosaur. Nearly every adult Tyrannosaurus specimen found has wounds that it have been healed, but would've killed nearly any other animal. For instance, in one specimen named Sue, has suffered and survived injuries such as broken ribs, infections in the vertebrae and legs, and also had arthritis. Other specimens have also been healed from Triceratops horns, Ankylosaurus clubs, and even bitemarks from other tyrannosaurs, and yet they survived all of that. Aside from fighting some of the toughest herbivores that nature's ever produced, like Triceratops and Ankylosaurus, it also fought constantly amongst themselves. Every complete or mostly complete skull found has bite marks from the only large theropod around, another T. rex. They most likely fought over mates, territory, or food. Tyrannosaurus and its cousins were so successful that whenever a tyrannosaur moved into a territory, it drove out any other large predator, and were soon the only large predator in the area. T. rex's speed has been a topic of discussion for a while. The scientists that believe T. rex was a scavenger say that it was a slow-moving, lumbering animal that could barely run 10 mph. However, some speculate, that since T. rex had some of the longest and most muscular legs of any dinosaur, it was a fast runner. Also, unlike most other large theropods, T. rex had a longer shin bone than a femur bone, which shows that T. rex possibly was fairly fast. Scientists that believe T. rex was a predator say that it could run over 25 mph, faster than Olympic sprinters! Even if T. rex wasn't that fast, studies seem to show that T. rex was faster than most of its prey items. It also seems as though if T. rex was a predator, than it held its prey down with one of its feet, using the other one and its long tail for balance, and then taking a bite out if its prey. T. rex also had specialized pads on the soles of its feet like elephants today to feel low frequencies in the ground to find and locate its prey like ceratopsians or ankylosaurs. Another terrifying aspect about Tyrannosaurus rex was the size of its brain. It was the smartest of the large theropods, and its brain was about the size of a gorilla's. Recent studies show that T. rex was probably about as smart as a lion, meaning this dinosaur could use strategic thinking to take down tough prey like Triceratops and Ankylosaurus. T. rex ''probably became so smart because unlike other large theropods, which hunted large, small-brained sauropods, it hunted tough animals that were about the same size, like ''Triceratops, so it would need to come up with a plan to kill it. That can also explain why the teeth were so much broader, thicker, and stronger than other carnivores, since there was more armor that needed to be bitten through. This brain size may also have led T. rex ''to be able to form a family pack, letting the juveniles chase after the prey items into the jaws of the adults, like lions do today. Hunting in packs or pairs could also be a factor in being able to take down tough prey. If ''T. rex ''hunted in a pack, most likely the juveniles would chase the prey towards the more powerful adults, where they would kill it. If it hunted in pairs, they probably attacked together on each side. If it was alone, the tyrannosaur probably waited in ambush until it was ready to attack, and then would charge and repeatedly bite down until thge prey became weak and died. The large brain also helped ''T. rex take better care of its young, so the next generation of killers had a greater chance of surviving. The skull of T. rex also shows that it had large eyes that faced forward, giving it three-dimensional binocular vision, while most theropods had eyes that were on the sides of their heads. Taxonomy For a long time T. rex was considered part of the carnosaur genus, like Allosaurus, but a closer analysis a few years ago showed that it was actually part of its own genus; the tyrannosaurids, which descended from coelurosaurs like Velociraptor. While'' Tyrannosaurus was by far the biggest tyrannosaurid, it wasn't the only one. It had numerous relatives; [[Daspletosaurus|''Daspletosaurus]], ''Albertosaurus'', and ''Tarbosaurus'' are all part of the tyrannosaur family. The earliest known tyrannosaurs were actually small hunters. Of all it's relatives, ''Daspletosaurus'' is believed to be the direct ancestor of T. rex, ''due to its very similar appearance. The skull of a small tyrannosaur, ''Nanotyrannus, found in South Dakota, was later proved to be from an adolescent T. rex. Although Tyrannosaurus rex was the peak of tyrannosaur and carnivourous dinosaur evolution, it was an evolutionary dead end, with its closest descendants being birds, because of th K-T Extinction caused by a massive asteroid. Of the 31 specimens found, the most famous, most complete, and largest T. rex on display is Sue, 42-foot (12.8 m) long Tyrannosaurus found in the badlands of South Dakota in 1990 by Susan Hendrickson. Sue's the most complete skeleton of any tyrannosaur, and was auctioned off in Washington D.C. for over $8 million. The skeleton is now on display in the Field Museum in Chicago, Illinois for everyone to see, but its skull is on a seperate case because it was too heavy to put on the actual skeleton, so they made a lighter replica and put it on the frame instead. Sue was named after the paleontologist who found it, but scientists aren't quite sure what its gender is. Not only is Sue the most complete and largest displayed T. rex, but it's also the oldest, dying at the age of 28. This seems to suggest tyrannosaurs grew continuously as they aged. Sue has given the most information of any T. rex skeleton yet, and is one of only a few Tyrannosaurus with a complete skull and forelimb. Some other famous T. rex specimens are Stan, Thomas, Samson, and Jane. Trivia *Paleontologist James Farlow calculated the number of lawyers a grown Tyrannosaurus had to eat (based on a scene from the movie Jurassic Park, in which a lawyer became T. rex fodder) to stay alive. Taken an average weight of 68 kilograms, 292 lawyers would be needed to keep one T. rex happy for a year! Popular Culture Tyrannosaurus is one of the most famous of dinosaurs. It shown in many recent movies involving dinosaurs. Its first appearance in the movies was in the 1925 film The Lost World, ''where it battles an ''Agathaumas. It also played an important role in the famous movie Jurassic Park. It also appeared in the movies sequel The Lost World: Jurassic Park. ''In this movie it rampaged through San Diego in an attempt to find its offspring. It later appeared in the third sequel ''Jurassic Park 3. Here a sub-adult male Tyrannosaurus ate the remains of a Parasaurolophus and was killed by a sub-adult Spinosaurus. It also starred in an episode of the reknown documentary series Walking With Dinosaurs, and two shows from the same producers called Prehistoric Park ''and Primeval''. It also appeared in several episodes of the well known documentary Jurassic Fight Club and Clash of the Dinosaurs. Another documentary it's been in is Dinosaur Revolution, ''where it showed how a family of tyrannosaurs lived until the K-T Extinction. A ''Tyrannosaurus named Heart serves as the main protaganist of the 2010 anime film You Are Umasou. Gallery Trexprofile.jpg|A Tyrannosaurus profile. Tyrannosaurus rex.jpg|Tyrannosaurus standing in a pond. Tyrannosaurus_3D_Model.jpg|3D model of Tyrannosaurus. Tyrannosaurus rex.gif Tyrannosaurus vs Spinosaurus.jpg|Tyrannosaurus vs. Spinosaurus images.jpeg T-Rex Through Wall.jpg|T-Rex Through Wall Jurassic Park T.Rex.jpg JFC Rex.jpg|T-Rex attacks Nanotyrannus ep4-trex-01.jpg|Jack Palance from Dinosaur Revolution tyrannosaurus-rex.jpg JPT.Rex.jpg|JP T.Rex in Main Hall cotd-rex.jpg|Clash of the Dinosaurs T. rex trex300.jpg|T. rex vs. Triceratops rex-vs-anky.png|T. rex vs. Ankylosaurus PCTrex.jpg|Primal Carnage T. rex 2005-0814-t-rex-skeleton.jpg|T. rex Skeleton Wwdimpact.jpg|Walking with Dinosaurs Tyrannosaurus Rex as the final roar before the Extinction event begins T_rex1.jpg|Prehistoric Park T. rex TREX123 (4).jpg TREX123 (3).jpg TREX123 (2).jpg TREX123 (1).jpg ce9d66ea94fef626fe3252de162a954a-d3jonfx.jpg T-rex eating.jpg ds.png dsa.png imagesCAC2OZA0.jpg imagesCACVC851.jpg imagesCAH3KRUF.jpg imagesCAH3UCG9.jpg imagesCAI2FV2H.jpg imagesCALXJAAK.jpg imagesCAM7NCXC.jpg imagesCAMMI443.jpg imagesCAQH7X8X.jpg imagesCAS2UX2O.jpg imagesCAVJC4G9.jpg imagesCAVKH24F.jpg imagesCAVPQ0VS.jpg imagesCAWDR3L4.jpg imagesCAXKJ1ZC.jpg imagesCAXSZJMA.jpg imagesCAYV76RM.jpg sgrbhnhh.png Series5T-Rex.jpg|Primeval Tyrannosaurus 425px-46663142_trex_bbc_226.jpg|Truth About Killer Dinosaurs Tyrannosarus 425px-Trex2web.jpg Trex_skull.jpg|T. rex Skull jackforest.jpg dinorev.jpg ﻿ Category:Theropods Category:Tyrannosaurids Category:Dinosaurs of North America Category:Primeval Category:Zoo Tycoon Dinosaur Digs Creatures Category:Large Carnivores Category:Saurischians Category:Saurischia Category:Tyrannosaurs Category:Apex predators Category:Cretaceous dinosaurs Category:Jurassic Park (film) characters Category:Jurassic Park (novel) characters Category:Jurassic Park III characters Category:Late Cretaceous Category:Archosaurs Category:Carnivores Category:Prehistoric animals of North America Category:Prehistoric reptiles of North America Category:Reptiles Category:Prehistoric Life Category:Coelurosaurs